Just a heads up to everyone since I did not know of this change and I was misinformed by and elite telephone representative last year.

I don't know when it changed, and best buy reps here on the forum have so far not provided the information, but now you have to spend either $1500 on the credit card or $1500 in store. You cannot spend $500 in store and $1000 with the credit card and maintain elite status.

After many previous instances where best buy showed they don't care much, if at all,, about customers, even elite, I have been spending less and less. There are only so many times best buy can treat customers like garbage before customers go elsewhere and I have been spending less and less at best buy.

You can see a lot of posts on these forums about customers who feel the same way. I will be filing complaints with the BBB in Minneapolis and the MN Attorney General. If you have problems here, that seems to be the only way to reach someone high enough to be willing to help customers or provide service. best buy has become the worst.

Anyway, you cannot combine purchases anymore. If you are brave enough to try to go through what best buy puts customers through just know you have to spend at least $1500 in store or on the credit card.

The forum moderators who I corresponded with and would not help were John and Mariah.

While John and Mariah have already gone over the terms of the My Best Buy™ program with you detailing as to why you did not qualify for Elite status during the 2018 calendar year, let me try to clear up just how a member would qualify for Elite status. There are two ways that a member can qualify. First, by spending $1,500 solely at Best Buy using an eligible form of payment (cash, credit, debit, check), including your My Best Buy™ Visa card. Second, by spending $1,500 solely using your My Best Buy™ Visa card. That would include purchases made outside of Best Buy. The ONLY purchases that are not combined are purchases made outside of Best Buy and purchases made at Best Buy without your My Best Buy™ Visa.

I have been monitoring the forum for the My Best Buy™ program (formerly Reward Zone) for almost seven years and do not recall purchases being outside of Best Buy ever being combined with purchases made at Best Buy when it comes to reaching a higher program tier. In fact, it used to be either all at Best Buy or all outside of Best Buy. A slight change was made a few years ago to allow purchases made at Best Buy with the My Best Buy™ Visa card to be combined with purchases made outside of Best Buy, which could actually help a member reach Elite or Elite Plus status quicker. I reviewed your rewards account for John and Mariah determining that you did not qualify for Elite status in 2018.

If you have any other questions about the My Best Buy™ program or your individual rewards account, then please do not hesitate to send me a private message by clicking on the blue button found in my signature, and I will see what I can do to further assist.

I am not seeing where anyone has treated you unfairly, but do regret if that is how it has come across. It honestly has more to do with that you simply did not qualify for Elite status based on your 2018 spend total. The link to the Program Terms that we have provided you on multiple occasions will display the most recent day of update at the top; however, that date will not apply to your situation seeing as the requirements to reach Elite status have been I place for several years. Again, the totals are not combined. Please send a private message if you have additional questions.

Best Wishes,

Derek|Senior Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate Give Kudos if you like this post or Accept as Solution if it answers your query!